The Ghost Within Me
by Tailsgfriend
Summary: Makoto and Haruka best friends... Even after the end. When Makoto dies in a car accident, Haruka's death isn't long after. Now the two find they are lost souls, for one reason or another, and they have a new duty far beyond anything they have taken on before. A.K.A. Demon hunting AU
1. Chapter 1

If Makoto had been told he wouldn't see tomorrow… He would've at least done something memorable instead of going about his normal routine. But now here he was, a ghost, looking at the crash where he had apparently died. At first he couldn't believe it; he thought it wasn't even possible… But seeing his crashed car with all the blood in it really was an eye opener. He had been the only one in the car, luckily, and he was going to meet Haruka, Nagisa, and Rei at a site they were going to camp out at for the weekend… But there had been something that jumped out into the road that made him swerve into a tree… He thinks. At least that's what police are saying. The crazy part about this is the fact that his body was nowhere to be found… Some people believed this meant he could be alive, mainly his family. And Haurka.

Makoto sighed. Haruka…

He had taken it worst of all.

After months of searching police gave up and claimed Makoto Tachibana as dead. Despite not being able to find the body, his parents got him a grave and held a funeral… Even had the casket despite it being empty. A lot of the school showed up, Makoto knew because he watched it take place. He never would've thought he'd be able to watch his own funeral. Nagisa, Rei, and even Gou made speeches. Haruka didn't show though, despite being asked.

Makoto understood why Haruka never came; he knew how hard this was for the raven haired teen. Haruka always relied on Makoto, he'd never say how much he cared and needed Makoto but they both knew. They were best friends; no one could know either of them like they knew each other.

Usually Haruka doesn't show his emotions well, his eyes are what gave them away to Makoto. Everyone had thought when Makoto didn't come to the campsite that he had ditched them. They all brushed it off though and tried to have fun. The next morning when a storm came in they all had to pack up their things and go home. Haruka was the first to leave and that's when he found out. Makoto will never forget Haruka's eyes when he found out about his best friend's death. It looked like right when he was told he had died as well. Even though Haruka didn't know it, Makoto stayed with him as he spent the whole day and night crying. It was after that, that Makoto decided he had to watch over Haru.

On the day of Makoto's funeral, Haruka went to where the crash had happened. Makoto knew his friend well enough to know that Haruka was looking for any clue Makoto could be alive. Makoto frowned as he followed Haruka through the dense forest by the road. Part of Makoto felt bad for always following his friend now, but he needed to know that Haruka would be alright. He was the only one out of all Makoto's family and friends who hadn't started to come to terms with his death. After a long time of following the raven haired teen, they had come to a stop. Makoto heard Haruka take in a shaky breath as he saw something off in the distance. Makoto didn't know at first what Haruka saw until he went and got a closer look.

Haruka had found Makoto's body.

Makoto stared in horror at something he did not expect to see. His body was almost torn apart, and by the knife in his body's stomach, he could make a valid guess that it wasn't animals that did this. From the looks of it, his death hadn't exactly been an accident at all. Makoto didn't have much time to process this as his attention was brought back to Haruka as the raven hair teen started to run off. Makoto saw the fresh tears on his friends face and quickly went to follow.

Haruka ended up being more upset about the fact that Makoto was murdered than Makoto himself. Makoto couldn't even remember his death so he mainly just brushed it aside, knowing that this would be the worst time to have a grudge. That night Haru found Makoto's body ended up being the first night Makoto saw Haru cut. He never expected it of his best friend but it made him realize how much pain Haruka was in without him.

Makoto was now whishing he hadn't watched as Haruka started to tear himself apart. It hurt to see his best friend in that much pain. Haruka started to skip school; the whole place had reminded Haruka of his best friend. Makoto had seen several times when Haru waited for Makoto to come into his bathroom and tell him he was going to be late, just for Haru to realize Makoto was gone, or when Haru looked over beside him in class to talk to Makoto, just to utter a small 'oh..' when his friend wasn't there. Most of Haruka's time now was in the water, not swimming, just floating as his now dull eyes stared off. The worst time, when Makoto couldn't even bare to watch Haruka was when he cut. Makoto never expected his death would take this much of a toll on Haruka.

Makoto wished he could've done something… Something to stop Haruka and tell him how much he had to live for… But he had no influence as a ghost; all he could do was watch.

It was a school night; one Haruka had missed once again. Makoto didn't realize till after that it had been five months since his death. It had taken that short of time for Haruka to break apart… In retrospect, Makoto should've seen this day coming with how Haruka had been acting the previous months. It took a while for Makoto to realize that he had been the most important person in Haruka's life… Haruka's parents were barely ever around, Makoto spent more time with him than anyone else. And now he stared at Haruka's lifeless form.

Before that Makoto had been gone for most of the day, watching over his family for once instead of Haruka. He had just wanted to make sure they were getting better which luckily they were. When Makoto had returned back Haruka was up in the bathroom. He was going to give Haru privacy until he hears his friend sniffling and a 'clang' from something metal hitting the floor. Makoto entered the bathroom to find Haruka in the tub, wearing his bathing suit. Haruka picked up a bloody razor that fell onto the floor; this was when Makoto noticed the deep cuts on Haruka's wrists.

"Haruka… stop…" Makoto whispers, he wished the raven haired teen could hear him. Haruka took the razor and just continued to cut himself more. The water in the tub was already turning red.

"You're going to hit a vein Haruka..!" Makoto says despite the fact Haruka couldn't hear him. He couldn't bite back the worry. His friend had so much to live for and Makoto didn't want him to throw it away. Still Haru kept cutting; Makoto could tell from Haruka's eyes that hitting a vein was exactly what he was going for. It didn't take long before the vein was hit and blood started to pour from Haru's wrists.

"Haru no!" Makoto yelled but it was too late. His friend was slipping away. Tears ran down Makoto's face. Part of him actually started to worry Haru wouldn't end up a ghost like him, he still had no clue why he was a ghost and stuck in the mortal world, he thought he'd go up to Heaven when he died, not this.

When Haru's breathing stopped, Makoto even held his breath. He didn't know what to expect. He remembered how he didn't become a ghost right when he died; at least he wasn't aware then. Haruka probably would take a while to show up, that is if he'd even become a ghost at all. Makoto frowned and sat down by the tub. He very gently grabbed Haru's lifeless hand and just waited… That's all he could really do.

A week had passed, that's when Haru's body was found. Nagisa had come along to check on him… Poor guy, he was pretty upset at the sight. There was still no sign of Haruka and Makoto was getting discouraged.

Haru had died in what he loved… And little did he know the person he loved most was right by him.

Makoto kept thinking that over, even as the police came by and took Haru's body, Makoto stayed in the same spot. Waiting. It wasn't until a quiet voice spoke up that he was snapped out of all his thoughts and worries.

"…Ma…koto…?"


	2. Chapter 2

Makoto looked over his shoulder to see Haruka standing there, he was in his school uniform but like Makoto, now transparent and a ghost. Makoto had to blink a moment to make sure Haruka was actually there, once he was sure he quickly ran over and hugged Haruka.

"I was so scared you wouldn't come and I'd never see you again!" Makoto says holding Haruka tightly.

"Makoto?! " Haruka says in shock. A smile soon breaks out on his face and he hugs back just as tight. Makoto couldn't help but make a small chuckle and after the long hug which they both needed so they could have a moment to soak in the fact they were together again, they separated from the hug.

"I thought I'd never see you again Makoto…" Haruka says quietly. Makoto looks down at him, he

notices the pain in his friends eyes and frowns.

"…I'm sorry Haru… I've been… Watching over you though… I'm sorry you went through all that…" Makoto says softly. Haruka looks down and off to the side for a moment, Makoto puts a hand on Haruka's shoulder, causing the raven haired teen's attention to turn back to him.

"It's all over now Haru… You don't have to be in pain anymore…" Makoto tells Haru, giving him a warm smile. Haruka chewed his lip a moment, a habit Makoto believed he had long since abandoned, and rubbed his wrists a bit. After a moment he gave a small nod.

"okay… but wait… did you say you watched over me?" Haruka asks raising a brow. Makoto rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well… We're stuck here in the mortal world for whatever reason… I thought the best use of my time was watching over everyone and making sure you were all okay… I saw how bad you took all this and decided I should watch over you…" Makoto says.

"Did you see all of it…?" Haruka asks quietly, not even questioning the fact they were stuck here and rather finding this more important. Makoto knew he meant if he had watched Haruka start to hurt himself and later on end his life. Makoto sighs and makes a small nod to which Haruka says nothing else. Makoto scans his friend's features to see nothing but his usual stoic face, he decides to end the silence after a bit.

"…Your funeral will be held later today I heard… So… If you want we can go see it…? It helps with closure and everything…" Makoto tells his friend. Haruka just makes a shrug, which Makoto knows by now means okay.

The funeral had been nice. Almost as packed as Makoto's was. Haruka didn't seem too pleased about that many people who didn't really know him showing up, but Makoto just told him it meant they thought he was a good person and wanted to give their wishes. Makoto was honestly happy that their graves were right next to each other, he felt it showed everyone just how good of friends they were, that even in death they'd stay by each other's side. Makoto even noticed that Haruka seemed a lot more comforted that their graves were beside each other.

After the funeral, Haruka just sat down and looked at the two graves silently. Makoto let him have his quiet and sat down by him, making sure not to bother Haru at all while he thought. Eventually Haruka spoke up, when the sky had gotten dark and the stars shone bright.

"…Do you remember how you died…? Or… Who killed you…?" He asked, his voice quiet and monotone like usual.

"No… I don't… I saw the car crash… and I followed you to my body… But I know nothing else of my death… Do you remember yours?" Makoto asks after a pause. Haruka doesn't say anything but just gives a small, slow nod and then sighs.

"You… Could've had a great life Haru… Why did you chose me over all that…?" Makoto asks, not that he didn't feel flattered or anything, he wanted Haru to be with him but he felt guilty about all Haruka lost. When Makoto looks to the raven haired teen, Haruka is looking up at the moon. He makes a small, non-committal shrug and lays down on the grass. Makoto goes quiet for a bit before copying and laying down to look at the stars. A soft smile forms on his face as he stares up at the peaceful night sky. It was the first time in a while that he had felt at peace, and now he had Haru to keep him company. He could tell Haruka was relaxed as well by the way his eyes were half closed.

"Hey Haru..?" Makoto asks quietly, grasping Haruka's attention once again and getting him to look over.

"Do you think everyone's going to be okay…? I mean… It's got to be really troubling, especially to our friends, that we're both gone now…" Makoto says, worrying a bit about Nagisa, Rei, and Gou. They are probably under a lot of stress right now… He didn't know how well they would take all of this.

"…They all expected this to happen." Haruka says quietly, no emotion in his voice. Makoto blinks and looks at him, not sure what he meant by that. Haruka seemed to understand that and sighed.

"They knew that when you died… I wouldn't be long to follow… I guess we all knew. And though it still does hurt for them… They were prepared for this…" The raven haired teen says. He remembers when he walked in on his friends talking about this one day and sighs.

_Haruka had just gotten done with enduring a painfully upsetting day of school and started to head to the locker room. He hadn't gone to school much, he hated the sympathetic looks he'd get from his classmates and the fact Makoto wasn't there to lighten the mood, he spent most of his time at his house closing himself off from the now dull world, and felt like maybe a swim with the team would help… That was until his mind brought him back to the thought of Makoto. He had been on the team, this would be Haruka's first time going to practice without him. This realization had stopped Haruka right in his tracks as he was about to enter the locker room and made him take in a shaky breath. He held onto the wall trying to calm himself for a bit and that's when he heard the voices of Nagisa, Rei and Gou._

_"Guys… I'm worried about Haru-chan…" Nagisa speaks up, his voice quiet but still able to be heard by Haru. The raven haired teen blinks hearing he's their topic of discussion right now._

_"Me too… He's barely come to school… Let alone practice, and he loves to swim!" Haruka heard Gou say._

_"Well, the two were best friends. We all knew he'd take it the hardest just…" Rei trails off._

_"Just what?" Nagisa and Gou ask simutaniously. Rei lets out a sigh._

_"Just Haruka was always dependent on Makoto… It was something that never had to be said, we just all knew it. The two had almost always been together and they barely left each other's side… If one went somewhere… The other usually followed…" Rei says quietly. There's a moment of silence and Haruka held his breath._

_"What are you getting at Rei?" Gou asks, concern laced in her voice. Haruka kept listening, though he knew exactly what Rei was going to say._

_"Makoto is dead… How long do you think it'll be before Haruka follows?" Rei asks, his voice quiet but held a lot of seriousness. There was a long silence after that. Haruka guessed it was because none of his friends had thought the raven haired teen would do something so terrible._

_"H-Haruka… wouldn't…" Gou says in disbelief._

_"…Makoto-chan was a big part of Haru-chan's life... and vice versa… it would make sense if he did…" Nagisa quietly says, his frown could be heard in his voice. Haruka heard footsteps coming towards him and slightly panicked, he took a step back, telling himself just to go, but he didn't move any further. Nagisa, Rei, and Gou walked out of the locker room and froze when they saw Haruka. They all were stuck in place, almost like they were glued there. They just stared for a while, the three friends seemed to realize that Haruka had heard them. _

_"H-Haru-chan…" Nagisa starts but Haruka just turned away and walked off._

"Haru..?" Makoto asks snapping the raven haired teen out of his thoughts. Haruka blinks and looks over.

"Everything okay?" The olive haired teen asks, Haruka just makes a small nod before staring back up at the stars. He yawns and closes his eyes, moving his arms behind his head.

"Hey Makoto… I thought since we're dead we shouldn't get tired." Haruka mumbles, turning his head to his friend. He notices Makoto seemed tired too, but when Haruka says that he blinks and furrows his brows.

"We… shouldn't I mean… I never got tired before…" Makoto says a bit unsure. After a moment, though, he just laughs it off.

"I'm sure it's nothing. It was a long day, I guess even ghosts get tired after enough stress." The olive haired teen says. Haruka raises a brow a moment before looking away and closing his eyes.

"Best to just rest up then I guess…" Haruka says, Makoto makes a nod in agreement and shuts his eyes as well. He let the peacefulness sink in and started to slowly drift off into his sleep. He didn't see as a small smile formed on Haruka's face as the raven haired teen took in the fact that he was with his best friend once again.


End file.
